OREANDA-NEWS   The Progress rocket and space center (part of Roscosmos) is conducting a preliminary design of a new Russian space launch vehicle Soyuz-7 with the conditional name Volga, which will become part of the super-heavy rocket, a source in the rocket and space industry.

In 2016, holding the post of Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Rogozin said that the upper stages will be named after the rivers of the European part of Russia, and the launch vehicles will be named after the waterways of Siberia and the Far East. Currently, a family of missiles of the same name is named after the Angara river. In honor of the Volga, the upper stage for the Soyuz-2 rocket was named, and work on the upper stage for the Angara is under the name Dvina. Work on the adaptation of the Angara rocket to the Vostochny cosmodrome is called Amur. The superheavy rocket was previously called "Yenisei", and its middle-class rocket "Soyuz - 5" - "Irtysh".

"The preliminary design for the carrier "Soyuz-7" /  "Volga" will be prepared within the framework of the preliminary design of the super - heavy carrier" Yenisei "by the end of 2019," the Agency interlocutor said.

The work is carried out by the Progress Rocket and space center, previously determined by the head developer of the super-heavy rocket. Rocket "Soyuz-7" will be the Central unit of the carrier, around which will be located six rockets "Soyuz-5"/ "Irtysh". "Volga" from "Irtysh" will differ by application of the RD-180 engine delivered to the USA, but not RD-171MV. He RD-180 is conventionally represents a half of the RD-171 and dual - chamber engine instead of four.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the creation of a super-heavy rocket in early 2018. It is expected that the FTP on the super-heavy rocket should become part of the state program dedicated to the development of the moon. The program was to be submitted to the government, as stated by the state Corporation, until January 15. The first missile launch is scheduled for 2028. The launch complex for the super-heavy rocket "Yenisei" is planned to be built 22 kilometers from the city of Tsiolkovsky. Roscosmos asks to allocate 1.2 trillion rubles for the creation of the carrier.

Previously, it was assumed that the name "Soyuz-7" can get a carrier that uses methane as fuel. In addition, the development of a launch vehicle with a similar name was announced by a private company S7 Space, the owner of the Sea launch project. It proposes to make the Soyuz-7 as a reusable modification of the Soyuz-5 rocket. The first launch of Soyuz-5 is scheduled for 2022. Roscosmos intends to spend 61 billion rubles on its development.